2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season Part I: One Never Truly Knows: The risk of a landfalling hurricane is a serious threat for any tropical season, regardless of seasonal outlooks for the Atlantic Basin at large. In fact, sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) along the U.S. coast and northern Caribbean are trending above average, and tropical cyclone development in these areas close to the mainland is cause for concern. Such development depends on short-term weather patterns at the time of occurrence, not on how many hurricanes are expected in the Atlantic basin at large.

Update: Hurricane Arthur: Hurricane Arthur is the first hurricane to make U.S. landfall since 2012, and the earliest to make North Carolina landfall for any hurricane season since 1908. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Arthur made landfall in North Carolina on July 3 at about 11:15 p.m. EDT (0315 UTC), with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (161 km/hr).